News

The City of South Fulton, Tennessee Enters Into Service Agreement with Alliance Water Resources

(Columbia, Missouri, January 10, 2012) – At the December 2012 meeting, the South Fulton City Commission voted to enter into a service agreement with Alliance Water Resources to operate and manage the city\'s water and wastewater facilities. The agreement, which began January 2, is for Alliance to provide water and wastewater operator services customized to meet the needs of the community. The contract includes provision of a licensed operator for the facilities, a position the city has been unable to fill despite extensive efforts to find a qualified candidate who meets the level of credentials required by the state of Tennessee. The experienced Alliance Water Resource system manager and licensed operator will be on-site one day a week and available by phone 24/7 for troubleshooting assistance and to provide other management or operator services as requested/needed by the city, including representing the city in communications with regulatory agencies.

Mayor Ed Cassetty, who took office in November says, â€œThrough discussions with Debra Craig, our City Manager and Wes Joyner, head of our Public Works Department, I found that both of them believed this to be the best option for our city, and I have faith in their expertise. Sandy Neal [Vice President/Director of Business Development and Human Resources] met with me to further educate me on the process, equipping me with the knowledge I need to be able to answer questions within our community.â€
According to the city, the move to Alliance will be a significant savings compared to the current contracted operator system the city is utilizing. Terry Merritt, the licensed Alliance operator assigned to the project says, â€œTraining the existing staff will be one of the challenges, as most of them are fairly new to the industry. But they are a dedicated team, and we are looking forward to helping them build better stability for the City of South Fulton.â€ Merritt will also work on-site and hand-in-hand with Mr. Joyner to help make the best decisions for the city by lending his own experience and knowledge, as well as the analysis resources that Alliance offers.

Alliance Water Resources, which currently assists clients in Missouri and Iowa, is a full contract operation and management provider for water and wastewater resources. In their efforts to expand into states surrounding Missouri, they identified that many communities throughout Tennessee are in need of experienced utility system managers and the credentials of licensed water and wastewater operators. They also found many cities and water and wastewater utilities were receptive to discussions about alternative options. Anticipating that this first contract in the state will open up more doors for Alliance, they have leased an office space in nearby Newbern which will open this month.

Neal says, â€œWe\'re excited for the opportunity South Fulton has provided us to demonstrate our capabilities to the state of Tennessee, and to let them know we are an option.â€ Neal goes on to say that Alliance Water Resources is an affordable choice for water and wastewater management for cities and utilities who need a licensed operator and can also benefit from the added resources and experience Alliance has to offer.

Alliance will work with the city employees to train them how to manage their system, therefore providing valuable hands-on experience that will better equip them to manage the system long-term. Throughout the process, Alliance will also offer guidance and analysis of the current system along with ideas on how to make improvements where needed, providing substantial and continual savings for the city through better maintenance and planning.

â€œWe know communities have limited resources,â€ says Neal. â€œAs professionals in the field, we have the knowledge to help them capitalize on those resources. This opportunity will give us a presence so that more communities know we exist as an option.â€